A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY by Edward Payson Roe (red seas under red skies .TXT) 📕

Objects Of Elevating art And Beauty.

By A Fine Instinct She Felt, Rather Than Saw, That Mrs. Arnot Did Not

Specially Like The Seemingly Faultless Man, And Was Led to Believe That

Her Aunt'S Ideal Knight Was To Be Found Among Some Of The Heartier Young

Men Who Were Bent On Doing Good In the Old-Fashioned ways; And, With A

Tendency Not Unnatural In one So Young And Romantic, She Thought Of Her

Aunt As Being a Bit Old-Fashioned and Prosaic Herself. In her Youthful

And Ardent Imagination Beaumont Came To Fill More And More Definitely

Her Ideal Of The Modern Knight--A Man Who Summed up Within Himself The

Perfect Culture Of His Age, And Who Was Proposing To Diffuse That

Culture As Widely As Possible.

"You Do Not Admire Mr. Beaumont," Said Laura A Little Abruptly To Her

Aunt One Day.

"You Are Mistaken, Laura; I Do Admire Him Very Much."

"Well, You Do Not Like Him, Then, To Speak More Correctly; He Takes No

Hold Upon Your Sympathies."

"There Is Some Truth In your Last Remark, I Must Admit. For Some Reason

He Does Not. Perhaps It Is My Fault, And I Have Sometimes Asked myself,

Is Mr. Beaumont Capable Of Strong Affection Or Self-Sacrificing action?

Has He Much Heart?"

"I Think You Do Him Injustice In these Respects," Said Laura Warmly.

"Quite Probably," Replied mrs. Arnot, Adding With A Mischievous Smile,

Which Brought The Rich Color To Her Niece'S Cheeks, "Perhaps You Are In

A Better Position To Judge Of His Possession Of These Qualities Than I

Am. Thus Far He Has Given Me Only The Opportunity Of Echoing Society'S

Verdict--He Is A Perfect Gentleman. I Wish He Were A Better Christian,"

She Concluded gravely.

"I Think He Is A Christian, Auntie."

"Yes, Dear, In a Certain Aesthetic Sense. But Far Be It From Me To Judge

Him. Like The Rest Of The World, I Respect Him As An Honorable

Gentleman."

A Few Days After This Conversation Mr. Beaumont Drove A Pair Of

Coal-Black Horses To Mrs. Arnot'S Door, And Invited laura To Take A

Drive. When, In the Twilight, She Returned, She Went Straight To Her

Aunt'S Private Parlor, And, Curling Down At Her Knees, As Was Her Custom

When A Child, Said:

"Give Me Your Blessing, Auntie; Your Congratulations, Also--I Hope,

Although I Am Not So Sure Of These. I Have Found My Knight, Though

Probably Not Yours. See!" And She Held Up Her Finger, With A Great

Flashing Diamond Upon It.

Mrs. Arnot Took The Girl In her Arms And Said, "I Do Bless You, My

Child, And I Think I Can Congratulate You Also. On Every Principle Of

Worldly Prudence And Worldly Foresight I Am Sure I Can. It Will Be Very

Hard Ever To Give You Up To Another; And Yet I Am Growing Old, And I Am

Glad That You, Who Are Such A Sacred charge To Me, Have Chosen One Who

Stands So High In the Estimation Of All, And Who Is So Abundantly Able

To Gratify Your Tastes."

"Yes, Auntie, I Think I Am Fortunate," Said Laura, With Complacent

Emphasis. "I Have Found A Man Not Only Able To Gratify All My

Tastes--And You Know That Many Of Them Are Rather Expensive--But He

Himself Satisfies My Most Critical Taste, And Even Fills Out The Ideal

Of My Fancy."

Mrs. Arnot Gave A Sudden Sigh.

"Now, Auntie, What, In the Name Of Wonder, Can That Foreboding Sigh

Mean?"

"You Have Not Said That He Satisfied your Heart."

"O, I Think He Does Fully," Said Laura, Hastily, Though With A Faint

Misgiving." These Tender Feelings Will Come In their Own Good Time. We

Have Not Got Far Enough Along For Them Yet. Besides, I Never Could Have

Endured a Passionate Lover. I Was Cured of Any Such Tastes Long Ago, You

Remember," She Added, With A Faint Laugh.

"Poor Egbert!" Ejaculated mrs. Arnot, With Such Sad Emphasis That Laura

Looked up Into Her Face Inquiringly As She Asked:

"You Don'T Think He Will Care Much, Do You?"

"Yes, Laura; You Know He Will Care, Perhaps More Deeply Than I Do; But I

Believe That He Will Wish You Happiness As Truly And Honestly As

Myself."

"O, Auntie! How Can It Be That He Will Care As Much As Yourself?"

"Is It Possible, Laura, That You Have Failed to Detect His Regard For

You In all These Months? I Detected it At A Glance, And Felt Sure That

You Had Also."

"So I Did, Auntie, Long Since, But I Supposed it Was, As You Say, A Mere

Regard That Did Not Trouble Him Much. I Should Be Sorry To Think That It

Was Otherwise."

"At All Events, It Has Not Troubled you Much, Whatever It May Have Cost

Him. You Hardly Do Haldane Justice. Your Allusion To His Former Passion

Should Remind You That He Still Possesses The Same Ardent And Impetuous

Nature, Out It Is Under Control. You Cannot Return His Deep, Yet

Unobtrusive, Love, And, As The World Is Constituted, It Is Probably Well

For You That This Is True; But I Cannot Bear That It Should Have No

Better Reward Than Your Last Rather Contemptuous Allusion."

"Forgive Me, Auntie; I Did Not Imagine That He Felt As You Seem To

Think. Indeed, In my Happiness And Preoccupation, I Have Scarcely

Thought Of Him At All. His Love Has, In truth, Been Unobtrusive. So

Scrupulously Has He Kept It From My Notice That I Had Thought And Hoped

That It Had But Little Place In his Mind. But If You Are Right, I Am

Very, Very Sorry. Why Is The Waste Of These Precious Heart-Treasures

Permitted?" And Gathering Tears Attested her Sincerity.

"That Is An Old, Old Question, Which The World Has Never Answered. The

Scientists Tell Us That By A Law Of Nature No Force Is Ever Lost. If

This Be True In the Physical World, It Certainly Should Be In the

Spiritual. I Also Believe That An Honest, Unselfish Love Can Enrich The

Heart That Gives It, Even Though It Receives No Other Reward. But You

Have No Occasion To Blame Yourself, Laura. It Is One Of Those Things

Which Never Could Have Been Helped. Besides, Haldane Is Serving a Master

Who Is Pledged to Shape Seeming Evils For His Good. I Had No Thought Of

Speaking Of Him At All, Only Your Remark Seemed so Like Injustice That I

Could Not Be Silent. In the Future, Moreover, You May Do Something For

Him. Society Is Too Unrelenting, And Does Not Sufficiently Recognize The

Struggle He Has Made, And Is Yet Making; And He Is So Morbidly Sensitive

That He Will Not Take Anything That Even Looks Like Social Alms. You

Will Be In a Position To Help Him Toward The Recognition Which He

Deserves, For I Should Be Sorry To See Him Become A Lonely And Isolated

Man. Of Course, You Will Have To Do This Very Carefully, But Your Own

Graceful Tact Will Best Guide You In this Matter. I Only Wish You To

Appreciate The Brave Fight He Is Making and The Character He Is Forming,

And Not To Think Of Him Merely As A Commonplace, Well-Meaning Man, Who

Is At Last Trying To Do Right, And Who Will Be Fairly Content With Life

If He Can Secure His Bread And Butter."

"I Will Remember What You Say, And Do My Very Best," Said Laura

Earnestly, "For I Do Sincerely Respect Mr. Haldane For His Efforts To

Retrieve The Past, And I Should Despise Myself Did I Not Appreciate The

Delicate Consideration He Has Shown For Me If He Has Such Feelings As

You Suppose. Auntie!" She Exclaimed after A Moment, A Sudden Light

Breaking In upon Her, "Mr. Haldane Is Your Knight."

"And A Very Plain, Prosaic Knight, No Doubt, He Seems To You."

"I Confess That He Does, And Yet When I Think Of It I Admit That He Has

Fought His Way Up Against Tremendous Odds. Indeed, His Present Position

In Contrast With What He Was Involves So Much Hard Fighting That I Can

Only Think Of Him As One Of Those Plain, Rugged men Who Have Risen From

The Ranks."

"Look For The Plain And Rugged characteristics When He Next Calls," Said

Mrs. Arnot Quietly. "One Would Have Supposed that Such A Rugged nature

Would Have Interposed some Of His Angles In your Way."

"Forgive Me, Auntie; I Am Inclined to Think That I Know Very Little

About Your Knight; But It Is Natural That I Should Much Prefer My Own.

Your Knight Is Like One Of Those Remorseful Men Of The Olden Time Who,

Partly From Faith And Partly In penance For Past Misdeeds, Dons A Suit

Of Plain Heavy Iron Armor, And Goes Away To Parts Unknown To Fight The

Infidel. My Knight Is Clad In shining Steel; Nor Is The Steel Less True

Because Overlaid With A Filagree Of Gold; And He Will Make The World

Better Not By Striking Rude And Ponderous Blows, But By Teaching It

Something Of His Own Fair Courtesy And His Own Rich Culture."

"Your Description Of Haldane Is Very Fanciful And A Little Far-Fetched,"

Said Mrs. Arnot, Laughing; "Should I Reply In like Vein I Would Only Add

That I Believe That He Will Henceforth Keep The 'White Cross' On His

Knightly Mantle Unstained. Already He Seems To Have Won A Place In that

Ancient And Honorable Order Established so Many Centuries Ago, The

Members Of Which Were Entitled to Inscribe Upon Their Shields The

Legend, 'He That Ruleth His Own Spirit Is Better Than He That Taketh A

City.' But We Are Carrying This Fanciful Imagery Too Far, And Had Better

Drop It Altogether. I Know That You Will Do For Haldane All That Womanly

Delicacy Permits, And That Is All I Wish. Mr. Beaumont'S Course Toward

You Commands My Entire Respect. He Long Since Asked both Your Uncle'S

Consent And Mine To Pay You His Addresses, And While We, Of Course, Gave

Our Approval, We Have Left You Wholly Free To Follow The Promptings Of

Your Own Heart. In the World'S Estimation, Laura, It Will Be A Brilliant

Alliance For Each Party; But My Prayer Shall Be That It May Be A Happy

And Sympathetic Union, And That You May Find An Unfailing and Increasing

Content In each Other'S Society. Nothing Can Compensate For The Absence

Of A Warm, Kind Heart, And The Nature That Is Without It Is Like A Home

Without A Hearth-Stone And A Fire; The Larger And More Stately It Is,

The Colder And More Cheerless It Seems."

Laura Understood Her Aunt'S Allusion To Her Own Bitter Disappointment,

And She Almost Shivered at The Possibility Of Meeting a Like Experience.

It Will Not Be Supposed that Haldane Was Either Blind Or Indifferent

During The Long Months In which Beaumont, Like A Skilful Engineer, Was

Making His Regular Approaches To The Fair Lady Whom He Would Win. He

Early Foresaw What Appeared to Him Would Be The Inevitable Result, And

Yet, In spite Of All His Fortitude, And The Frequency With Which He

Assured himself That It Was Natural, That It Was Best, That It Was

Right, That This Peerless Woman Should Wed a Man Of Beaumont'S Position

And Culture, Still That Gentleman'S Assured deliberate Advance Was Like

The Slow And Torturing Contraction Of The Walls Of That Terrible Chamber

In The Inquisition Which, By An Imperceptible Movement, Closed in upon

And Crushed the Prisoner. For A Time He Felt That He Could Not Endure

The Pain, And He Grew Haggard Under It.

"What'S The Matter, My Boy?" Said Mr. Growther Abruptly To Him One

Evening. "You Look As If Something Was A-Gnawin' And A-Eatin' Your Very

Heart Out."

He Satisfied his Old Friend By Saying That He Did Not Feel Well, And

Surely One Sick At Heart As He Was Might Justly Say This.

Mr. Growther Immediately Suggested as Remedies All The Drugs He Had Ever

Heard Of, And Even Volunteered to Go After Them; But Haldane Said With A

Smile,

"I Would Not Survive If I Took A Tenth Part Of The Medicines You Have

Named, And Not One Of Them Would Do Me